The Elixir of Life
by FandomGod321
Summary: Ling and May come from the Xingese empire, an ancient vast country with dark secrets of their own. Join Ling and May before they traveled to Amestris, on their original quest for immortality. Rated T for language. Please review, I am open to suggestions on how I could make my story(ies) better, thanks!
1. The Journey Begins

_**Disclaimer:**_

_**I do not own the FullMetal Alchemist manga or anime. Neither do I own any of the characters or places in the FullMetal Alchemist world. (with regret.)**_

_**This fanfic takes place in Xing. It's a story about Ling before he leaves to Amestris, and the search for another alchemical object to gain immortality. Ed and Al aren't in the story, but they're mentioned.**_

It was Ling's thirteenth birthday. For a prince, that was nothing good. It meant him having to risk everything so he could prove that he was worthy enough to rule the country. This went on from months to years.

The way to prove that you were a worthy king was finding something your country needed. Sometimes it was riches, other times it was medical discoveries, but Ling wanted to do something that would change the course of Xing forever, and give him a guarantee to becoming king. He wanted to find the secrets of immortality.

He had just woke up. His mother, Princess Yao, walked into his large and decorated room.

"Good morning, son. I suppose you know what today is, correct?" She asked in Xing tongue.

"Yes, mother." Ling replied in the same language. There was a sound of regret in both of their voices, for they both knew that they would not see each other until Ling proved worthy of becoming king, yet there was always the possibility of Ling dying on his secret quest, or, if Ling brought any shame to his clan at all, he would be banned from all of Xing, never to return.

His quest started in Drachma, a strange and secretive country north of Xing and the neighboring country Amestris. He was looking for a legendary island. It is said that the people of the island built a bunch of rivers that all start in the very center of the island, and end just before they meet the ocean. The water is disputed from a large fountain, and, as legend has it, a great alchemist created the fountain, and placed many purification (transmutation) circles around the fountain, changing the water into a substance so pure and divine it can create human souls, minds, and bodies, as well as regenerate the cells of a normal human, prolonging their life. If he could get hands on that…

So, Ling began walking. He lived in southern Xing, and, since Drachma was above them. it would take about two weeks to get there. He had a backpack filled with food, water, clothes, and a map. He bed his mother, father, and siblings farewell, and left.

He walked that entire day without food or water. He needed to save that for later. He managed to leave his city, but that left him with the problem of having nowhere to sleep.

"Ah, no need to worry!" Ling said with a smile on his face. Xing was basically a giant jungle, and he could easily climb up a tree or something like that. "Thank God that I don't have guards like my siblings, they would be all over me..." Ling said to himself. Guards were only given to request by request from the prince, unless the prince got them assigned to him by a higher up, that being his father, the king, or his mother.

Ling threw his bag up into a tree, then pounced up as well. He had been trained for combat all his life, thus making Ling strong, quick, and agile.

"Ah, there, nice and cozy." Ling said with a grin. He made himself comfortable in a large space between three branches. He was about to fall asleep, when he heard a loud and deep noise. There was silence for a while.

_Must be the wind._ Ling thought. The noise came again, but this time it came from just behind him. Slowly, Ling turned around.

"AHHH!"


	2. Here, Kitty Kitty

Chapter Two:

Here, Kitty Kitty

He was facing a large, black panther.

"Damn, now would be a good time to know a bit about alchehestry!" Ling said. "Too bad only princesses can learn it." The panther pounced at Ling, but the prince was fast. Ling jumped onto a tree branch, leaving the panther just below him. Out of pure panic, the prince pulled a small twig from a branch, and threw it at the panther. There was silence for a while, and Ling and the prince both stood still for a number of seconds.

The panther then quickly jumped at the prince while giving a loud roar.

"Gah!" Ling yelled. He jumped up onto another branch.

_I cant keep up with this forever! That panther'll just catch up to me and I'll be done for!_ Ling thought. His palms began to grow sweaty. "Yes! The food!" Ling proclaimed with a smile. He reached for his backpack. He could try to distract the panther by throwing out the food, giving him some time to...oh no. He left his bag down below the branches.

"Come on..think!" Ling yelled at himself. "There has to be another way!" The panther jumped at him again. Oh, of course!" The prince said to himself, and jumped to the other side of the branch, barely dodging the panther.

Although Ling couldn't use alchehestry, he had learned about the ways of the world. Everything had a flow of energy. He had always had a hard time with the subject, but people in Xing had learned how to calm animals by allowing the animal to feel the humans energy. If the animal allowed the human to feel their life, their energy, in return, a bond would be formed. There was only one problem: Ling, a thirteen year old boy, would have to touch the animal.

"Worth it!" Ling said with a smile on his face. He jumped off of the branch down to the floor. With another loud roar, the panther followed suit. The prince closed his eyes and turned the other way, but stuck his hand out in the air. The panther jumped on him and pinned the boy to the floor, but Ling was able to reach his hand over to the huge cats back, and place it down. Ling's energy flowed through his body, and he allowed some of it to exit out of his hand, and into the panther. For a while, the cat didn't do anything, but then Ling felt something. It was happiness, sadness, anger, and curiosity. It was the panthers soul.

Ling smiled, it had worked! The panther rolled off of Ling, and bit Ling's shirt. The princes eyes widened in fear, but the cat just helped him up on his feet. Ling smiled.

"So, how does this work, kitty? You just gonna follow me around everywhere? Be my faithful companion?" The cat gave a low growl. It wasn't very threatening, but more like a response. Ling chuckled, and the cat suddenly grabbed Ling's shirt again, and threw the boy on top of the cats back.

"Woo-hoo!" Ling said. The panther started to run again, and then pounced up on the tree. It jumped from branch to branch, and before Ling could even respond, he was at the very top of the huge tree, on a huge, thick branch. Ling gasped, but soon just relaxed, and laid down on the panthers back.

"Goodnight, Kitty."


End file.
